By Britta Zimmer, Medical Director Every week at Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program we discuss and engage in the five pillars of health. This week we discussed the pillars of health and how they contribute to strengthening the immune system. The pillars of health are: 1. Diet/ Nutrition 2. Mind/ Body Connection 3. Sleep 4. …
Pacific Quest’s own Land Supervisor, Travis Slagle, was recently featured in the National Public Radio’s food blog The Salt. The story titled Can Gardening Help Troubled Minds Heal focused on the growing evidence that horticultural therapy can be an effective tool in the treatment of individuals with mental health conditions. Troubled minds maybe a broad …
By Pacific Quest The word “diet” may throw people at first. We’re all on a diet because a diet is composed of whatever a person habitually eats. So for some, their diet is one of lots of cookies, soda and pizza. For others their diet is one of lots of meat and bread. Others only …
Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program recently hosted a group of 17 educational consultants from around the nation for a two day visit to allow referring professionals an opportunity to see our program from the inside out. Highlights included student guided garden tours, lots of time for students to share their insights and experiences while at …
By Tom De Trolio, Outing Supervisor Recently, the Ohana took an adventure to Honomalino Bay which lies 2,000ft down the scenic 5 mile road leading to Miloli’i, one of the last ancient fishing villages to rely on fishing as a way of life. From the town of Miloli’i, the group hiked about a half mile …
By Pacific Quest The mind-body connection is a simple way of describing how the human body responds to the way a person thinks, acts or feels. In other words there are ways in which our bodies react to the activities of our minds. When emotional health is compromised (from a stressful event or an accumulation …
By Rene Fay, HR Recruiter Recently, Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program held a four day hiring seminar with fourteen applicants and three facilitators in the Bay Area. The goal of the event was to move beyond basic phone interviews and create a more interactive interview process, offering prospective staff a hands-on experience of what life …
By Martha Bouchard, Program Director What feeds a community? There are the rote answers: food, water, shelter. But let’s assume your basic needs are being met. What comes next? For me, it is being part of a community that allows space for people to learn, grow and change. One of my greatest joys in working …
By Kelly Egan, Young Adult Program Director Aloha! Or in Thai it would be Sawadhee Ka! It’s so true that Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program is about adventure and journey – both the interior and exterior kind. Every day I’m part of someone’s journey here: our staff, a young adult student, and certainly my own. …
By Kelly Weld, Therapist Being a counselor at an intervention program is a challenging and rewarding task. When students arrive they are lost and desperate, their families are in crisis, and it is our job to help re-align the system in a relatively short period of time. The process feels first like a roller-coaster (with …